The late great Karen Carpenter

   For no known reason, this song crossed my mind this evening:



   Back in the early '70s, an 8-track with this song resided in my Dad's IH Scout 800.  We used to spend some weekends at our neighbor's 'ranch', which was located 4-5 miles NW of Barton's Chapel in Jack County, where we kept some horses.  I remember we had a 2 year old stud-in-training named Skipper, who one day poked his head through the open passenger window and pulled an 8-track from the player.  I also remember, a few years later after we returned from Europe - before I had a driver's license - Dad would let me drive the K-5 Blazer west to the ranch on FM 2210 from TX-199.

   A few years ago, I was driving near that area, and noted that the southern edge of the property appears to be dotted with wind turbines, along a ridge line running east-west.

Wednesday's Wonderings

• The Circus Blogger's missus reports that he may return to the keyboard ere long.  With all the weirdness going on in the world, I think it'd be hard to keep him away from it.
• A friend emailed me a story from Japan about a female 'artist' who is being fined or sanctioned for obscenity for her creation of a kayak shaped like a lady bit.  She, of course, claims to be making a statement about gender equality and such.
• I tend to see it as a publicity ploy.  Although maybe maybe she could license the design and the Swedish automaker could offer one with the purchase of each Volvo XC-90.
• A pizzeria owner got in a bit of a scrape for this sign:

• Apparently it's now taboo to comment on topical issues.  The owner says he just wanted to promote discussion, which doesn't sound out-of-bounds to me.
• I'm still unclear as to how this became an issue, kind of a chicken and egg thing.  
• Either way, if this is what lawmakers spend their time working on, it's not hard to see why voters are fed up with the political process status quo.
• Social entropy.
• Also in the news, Liza Minnelli and Bette Midler fans support the former Secretary of State.  Well, isn't that fabulous?
• Though moot now, was there ever a TransTed or Queers4Kasich movement?
• I have worn a full beard or goatee a half dozen or more times in my life - usually not longer than a season or maybe four or so months.  When I'm not actively growing a beard, I dislike leaving the house without shaving.
• Last night I bought some budget 4-blade disposable razors which may not be such the bargain.  A while back I got a swag bag from the Sam's Club health fair.  It included a Schick Hydro-5 sample razor.  Let me tell you: That is the Cadillac of shaving right there.
• Unfortunately, new cartridge heads are about $4.50 apiece.
• Does anyone know why the lubricating/moisturizing strip on a razor is on top, which, the way I shave, contacts my face after the blades have already sliced it?  Seems odd to me.
• Daughter and I went to the SRF last Saturday.  Couldn't have asked for better weather.  We feasted on a turkey leg mid-day.
• I first attended SF in 1984.  Don Juan & Miguel started performing there that year or maybe the next.
• We almost always start with the falconry demonstration.  I thought this year's was the best I have seen.
• If I had a huge workshop, I could make myself merry all the day long doing woodwork, leatherwork, and blacksmithing.  
• After attending the Samurai exhibit at the Kimbell a couple of years ago, I'd like to make a suit of armor, incorporating design elements of my own choosing.

Got chili, huevos, beans and coffee?

The past couple of nights I've plugged in the noise-cancelling headphones to my phone's playlist at bedtime.  This post is about one of the songs on that list.

Lone Wolf, Murphey's 'rock-n-roll' album from early 1978, was a departure from his Geronimo's Cadillac, Cosmic Cowboy, and Wildfire earlier work.  It's said that Epic/Columbia wanted more edge, and was trying to develop and package him in a Dan Fogelberg fashion.  After hearing him open for America at DCC, touring to support this album, I bought a copy at the now-defunct Six Flags Mall Musicland.  Even though I don't think he plays any of the material from this record anymore, it's still one of my favorites.

This album was produced by John Boylan, who a few years earlier, as Linda Ronstadt's manager, introduced her to a long-haired Detroit country rocker, and an East Texas native who - like Murphey - had attended NTSU and later moved to L.A.  They formed a band of their own not long after.



In some respects, Lone Wolf, and this song in particular, seem to echo that band's blockbuster's theme of disillusionment with the crumbling façade of the American Dream and progress featured in The Last Resort, Life in the Fast Lane, and Hotel California a year earlier.  Prolific studio musicians Jai Winding (featured on many Henley songs) and Mike Botts (also a member of  Bread), perform on the album.

New & Improved! No More Fading!

Who exactly is Bathroom Bill?

  

I had a dream...

   As I was navigating my ancient bones down the aisles of the Kroger on a hover-round after church¹, I heard a song on the PA that caught my attention.

   The melody sounded vaguely Beatle-esque (Carry That Weight?), but I couldn't place the vocal, and ruled it out as being new P-Mac material.  So of course I engaged the power of the Google, and discovered that this was not some decades-old song (although it is from a decades-old artist).



   Lynne really stuck the landing on this one, released late last year.  And from perusing the comments following the video, apparently I wasn't the only one to hear a Fab Four resemblance.

¹ OK, my bones aren't really ancient - just a nickel over a half-century - and I am by God's grace fully ambulatory.

For he's a jolly good fellow...

Apparently one of my Pay Pals was concerned for my online safety, and sent me this kind notice:

We see unusual activity in your account, we give you the opportunity to do the PayPal's dispute resolution process.

We see unusual transactions in your account, so we suggest you to spend less than 5 minutes to complete the resolution process.All feedback as well as other information confidentially and privacy. PayPal's is currently producing a new rule to make our costumer still feel safety, PayPal's recommends you who is active in the currency of payment online via PayPal's, please feel free to re-post the data verification. We aim to re-register and maintain all the information to you.

I of course am grateful that they keep costumers in mind.  No theatrical production goes well without their skilled efforts, even though I have not purchased any costuming accoutrements using the payment service, or any at all for that matter.  And I always like to feel safety.

Seems legit, right?